


Failed Twice

by Aaronna



Series: Those Left Behind [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Depression, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Insults, No Bete: We die like men, Self-Lothing, all typos and grammar mistakes are my own, iroh thinks zuko is dead, major character death but not really, mentions of gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28353330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaronna/pseuds/Aaronna
Summary: Companion piece to Fight For Life written from Iroh's POV
Relationships: Azula & Iroh (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Those Left Behind [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2076399
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Failed Twice

Iroh knew the moment his nephew's eyes widened in disbelief at the beginning of the meeting that he never should have let the boy in with him. It was a horrible plan, one created by someone who clearly didn't see soldiers as living, breathing people, but he had told Zuko not to speak. As 13-year-olds go, it was a good response, but it brought the boy's father's attention to him in a bad way.

"Prince Zuko, if you feel you know better than trained Generals, perhaps you should join the soldiers you value so highly."

Iroh knew this was bad. He spent the entire day trying to arrange for a trusted escort, writing letters for the commanders along the way so they knew to listen to and protect the boy. When that was done, he went to speak to his nephew, only to find his room being emptied by servants and an angry Azula complaining that she didn't get a chance to hide a scorpionviper in her brother's luggage before he left.

He felt like his world had just shifted and he was suddenly lost in a familiar place. His boy was gone and he hadn't been able to send help with him or even say goodbye. 

It only got worse after that. Ozai made sure he could follow after the boy and had Azula make sure he didn't send hawks out either. He finally managed to escape them both and was about to head for the docks when he saw the hawk bearing a black ribbon land in the courtyard. 

He was told Azula was the one who found him holding the message tightly and bawling. Personally, he didn't remember that part. He recalled opening the scroll and reading what had happened to his nephew, after that, it was just memories of Lu Ten's death, only this time it was Zuko's body in peised torn apart by rocks and a half crushed, barely recognizable face staring lifelessly back at him.

When he finally came back to himself, the customary time of grieving had passed and he was expected to resume his duties immediately. He was in no way in the right state of mind to advise on the very council that had caused the poor boy to be sent off in the first place. There was a very good reason it took months for him to return home after calling the retreat at Ba Sing Se.

And to make matters even worse, the workers on the battlefield were unable to return a body or even ashes since Zuko along with the division's were two of over a hundred bodies that were not recovered. That meant there would be no entry for Zuko in the Royal temple for respects to be paid. It also made the chance of his spirit rejoining Agni non-existent since his soul would be trapped away from all light in the depths of the earth.

If it wasn't for the teasing and insults thrown at him by his niece, he would have allowed himself to waste away, but she anchored him to reality. He took every jab and barb sent his way and used them to slowly, ever so slowly, climb out of his pit of despair. She became his reason to keep living and enjoying life again.

She was a master of tea, knowing all the traditions and care required from her lessons her mother had forced on her to balance the constant firebending training. Everyday she surprised him with how much they had in common and her drive to learn everything she could. He could teach her so much, things he never got to do with his boys.

He may have failed twice, but there was no way he was going to fair her too. It wasn't an option. Azula was the future of the Fire Nation and his last moor to sanity, so he would do everything in his power to see her thrive.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have a POV you want to see, please give me the person and a time reference. This can be a person in one of the works in the series or just someone who would have lived a different life with Zuko not sailing around searching for the Avatar to regain his honor. 
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading!


End file.
